If you didn’t already feel old today, this should do the trick. It has now been 20 years since MVP Baseball 2005 hit stores.
To celebrate the memory of Jon Dowd and everything that made this game an all-timer, DraftKings Network has put together a Build-a-Lineup series of players featured on the game!
At the bottom of each group below, you’ll find my picks — along with my full batting order at the very end.
Let us know your lineups by replying to our posts on Instagram and X! (If you want to build your lineups out to MVP Baseball 2005’s legendary soundtrack like I did, check out this playlist on Spotify.)
Starting Rotation ($15)
- Matt Clement ($1) – Coming off one of his better big-league seasons, 2005 would prove to be Clement’s lone All-Star campaign. In the game, he provided a nice slider-slurve combination off of his fastball. If I didn’t specifically remember having success with Clement, I’d have probably gone with A.J. Burnett and his knuckle curve.
- Scott Kazmir ($2) – I believe Kazmir only had three pitches in the game, which can be tough for a starter. But, I remember struggling with a few of these guys in this range. Plus, this was right at the start of Kazmir’s four year-stretch in which he went on to earn two All-Star nods while posting an ERA of 3.77 or better each season.
- Mark Prior ($3) – The $3 row has incredible value. I don’t think there’s a wrong answer here. For me, it comes down to Prior and Wood. I liked both of these guys a lot. I may have actually been better with Wood, but Prior was one of my favorites of this era — a great “what if.”
- Jake Peavy ($4) – Each guy in this group was in the middle of their prime. Chris Carpenter and Bartolo Colon were 2005’s Cy Young winners. D-Train finished second in the NL Cy Young voting in 2005. Carlos Zambrano was coming off a year in which he posted a 2.75 ERA over 209 2/3 innings. But, I have to take Peavy. He threw some serious gas in a time where that wasn’t commonplace, and he’d just won his first ERA title (for which he received no Cy Young votes, on top of being an All-Star snub).
- Johan Santana ($5) – The legends group features three Hall of Famers, and two guys who should be in with them. It pains me to not roll with Doc, but this was fresh off of Santana’s first Cy Young. It ultimately came down to the fact that I remember Santana’s fastball-changeup combo translating very well to MVP 05.
Infield ($15)
- C – Brad Ausmus ($1) – This is where I have to save. Jason Varitek is probably my preferred catcher of the bunch, but I have another $3 infield option who’s of greater priority.
- 1B – Derrek Lee ($4) – In 2004, Lee hit .278 with 32 home runs and 39 doubles. He’d follow up his inaugural Cubs campaign by having the best year of his career in 2005. (I also loved Lee on MLB Slugfest: Loaded.)
- 2B – Jeff Kent ($5) – This may have been his age 37 season, but Kent could still get it. After hitting .289 with 27 home runs and 34 doubles in 2004, he hit .289 with 29 home runs and 36 doubles in 2005.
- 3B – Chone Figgins ($2) – Whenever I did franchise mode, adding Figgins was a must. Reliable contact hitter with wheels. After swiping 34 bags in his first full big-league season, Figgins stole a league-leading 62 bases in 2005.
- SS – Rafael Furcal ($3) – Cannon at shortstop. Reliable contact hitter. Another solid base-stealing option, but with more power potential than Figgins. My left side of the infield is non-negotiable.
Outfield + Designated Hitter ($12)
- LF – Manny Ramrez ($4) – I know most will want to take Jon Dowd, but the coverboy was an absolute beast. Taking Ramirez also provides greater roster flexibility.
- CF – Juan Pierre ($2) – My corner outfielders aren’t exactly the fastest individuals, so I need someone who can help make up for that. Plus, for all my praise of Figgins and Furcal’s wheels, Pierre is the ultimate speedster on my roster. Coming off a season in which he led the league with 221 hits while batting .326, Pierre is the ideal leadoff hitter. (How was Pierre never an All-Star?)
- RF – Wily Mo Pena ($2) – I wouldn’t be shocked if Pena was on at least 1/3 of rosters that people create from this. We all know the power he provided. Never fully realized from a numbers standpoint, but that was more of a contact issue. When he ran into one, forget about it.
- DH – Travis Hafner ($4) – Like Pierre, the fact Hafner was never an All-Star is mind-blowing. He did have his dominant three-year stretch at the start of David Ortiz’s ascension, but Hafner hit over .300 every year from 2004-2006, all while hitting 28, 33 and 42 home runs. Yet, not one All-Star nod.
Nick’s MVP Baseball 2005 Batting Order
- Juan Pierre – CF (L)
- Jeff Kent – 2B
- Manny Ramirez – LF
- Derrek Lee – 1B
- Travis Hafner – DH (L)
- Wily Mo Pena – RF
- Brad Ausmus – C
- Chone Figgins – 3B (S)
- Rafael Furcal – SS (S)
